He Got Caught
by suzie2b
Summary: What happens when Hitch can't find a girl to spend seventy-two hours with and looks to Tully for some entertainment.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **He Got Caught**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **There was knock at the door. Tully pulled it open and smiled. "Hi, Hitch, come on it."**

 **Hitch stepped inside, noting that Tully was holding an armload of towels. "You look busy."**

 **Tully dropped the towels in the basket with the dirty clothes. "Charley picked up the clean laundry from Salma's yesterday on her way home, but it was too early to drop the dirty stuff off** **before she left on her mission this morning. I told her I'd do it." He looked at Hitch's solemn expression. "I thought you were going to spend your seventy-two hours off with Milly?"**

 **Hitch sighed as he sat down at the table. "That was the plan, but she finished her shift at the hospital early and caught me with Jean last night."**

 **Tully chuckled. "You knew that was gonna happen eventually. Why not just spend the time with Jean then?"**

" **Since Milly caught us together, Jean's not speaking to me either."**

" **How about Kelly? Or Susan?"**

 **Hitch shook his head. "Kelly got transferred last week. Susan has to work."**

 **Tully picked up the basket. "Okay, Romeo, let's go." Hitch followed him out the door. Tully handed the basket to him so he could lock up the apartment and said, "We'll drop off the laundry then go have some lunch. Hopefully we'll think of someone for you to spend time with."**

 **After dropping the laundry at Salma's, the two privates went to the mess hall. They got hot dogs and macaroni, then sat down across from each other. Hitch smeared yellow mustard on his two hotdogs as he said, "What am I gonna do, Tully? I'm already bored."**

 **Tully put ketchup on his dogs. "Your life would be a whole lot less complicated if you'd stick to one girl at a time, ya know."**

" **I know, but I like to know I've always got someone. Right now I don't seem to have anybody."**

 **Tully chewed and swallowed. "Well, didn't you have a girl back home?" Hitch nodded as he took a bite of macaroni. "What did you do when she couldn't be with you?"**

 **Hitch thought about it as he chewed. After he swallowed, he said, "When Shelly was busy there was always Carla or Stephanie."**

 **Tully nearly choked when he tried to laugh. "Did you ever get caught?"**

 **Hitch grinned triumphantly. "Nope. What do you do when Charley's not here?"**

" **Read, sleep, write letters, play baseball or football with some of the guys. A game of horseshoes isn't too bad now and then. Then there's always poker…"**

" **I'd rather spend time with a girl."**

 **Tully smiled. "I'd rather spend time with Charley, but sometimes it just doesn't happen." He eyed his friend seriously. "You really need to figure out how to entertain yourself, Hitch."**

 **He smiled. "That's what I'm doing when I'm with a girl." They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, then Hitch said, "So what are we doing after lunch?"**

" **Oh, so now you want me to entertain you? Why don't you go ask that girl who always helps you when you need a report typed up?"**

" **Sally? Yeah, that's an idea."**

 **After they'd finished lunch, Hitch went to headquarters to talk to Sally and Tully was happy to go home.**

 **###############################**

 **After spending some time writing letters to his parents and sisters, Tully decided it was a good time to read some of the newspapers his mother had sent. He had just sat down at the table with the stack when there was a knock at the door. When Tully opened it he found Hitch standing there looking more sullen than the last time. "What happened?"**

 **Hitch walked inside with a sigh. "Sally just started dating Carson Reed from the motor pool. She said it wouldn't be right to spend time with me right now."**

 **Tully rolled his eyes as he closed the door. "Couldn't find anyone else?"**

 **Hitch flopped down on a chair. "After that let down, I gave up. I know Troy's spending time with Diane and Moffitt's taken Linda on a fossil hunt. Pretty much everyone I know is either working or has someone to be with. I thought maybe since Charley's out of town…"**

 **Tully sighed as he picked up the newspapers and went into the closet to put them away. "Quit feelin' sorry for yourself." He took some money out of the box on the shelf and walked out. "I heard there's a poker game goin' on over at the NCO Club today."**

 **Hitch frowned slightly. "Ah, you know they won't let us peon privates in."**

 **Tully grabbed his friend by the arm and propelled him towards the door. "If we show up at the back door with twenty each, they'll let us play."**

 **Drinks flowed and a bowl of stale pretzels were passed around as chips went into the pot. Cards were dealt. There was much chatting and amiable laughter. There were winners and losers. Hitch was doing well and Tully was breaking even.**

 **Corporal Henderson had been drinking since before the privates joined the game and he'd been doing his fair share of winning. Unfortunately, after Hitch and Tully arrived, he started losing. Soon he was complaining, "I knew it was a mistake letting privates in here."**

 **The more the corporal drank the more money he lost, which made him drink and complain even more. When he started writing IOUs to put in the pot, his night was over.**

 **Sergeant Carter finally told him, "Okay, Henderson, it's time for you to go sleep it off."**

 **The corporal shook his head. "You know I'm good for it, sarge. I just wanna get some of my money back."**

" **Nope, not this time. Go on, get out of here."**

 **Henderson got unsteadily to his feet and pointed at Hitch and Tully. "It's you two. You brought me bad luck."**

 **Hitch was a little tipsy himself. He kept his eyes on his cards as he said, "Oh, you're just a sore loser."**

 **Henderson swayed dangerously as he slurred, "Whud you call me?"**

 **Tully looked up at him with a drunken smile. "He called you a sore loser. I happen to agree with him."**

 **The corporal tried to reach across the table to grab Hitch by the shirtfront. "You little creep! I'll…"**

 **However, in his condition leaning over was a bad idea. Henderson lost all balance and landed face first on the pile of chips in the middle of the table—out cold.**

 **Sergeant Carter sighed. "This happens every time he plays. You'd think he'd learn." He looked at two guys that weren't playing. "Mind getting him out of here?"**

 **###############################**

 **The game finally broke up at midnight. Hitch had managed to win forty dollars and Tully had lost two. The two of them were staggering slightly as they walked through the streets.**

 **Tully asked, "So, you feelin' any better now?"**

 **Hitch smiled. "Yeah, thanks for draggin' me along. Guess I** _ **was**_ **feelin' a little sorry for myself. What're we doing tomorrow?"**

" **Don't you mean today? It is after midnight."**

" **Oh … yeah. Guess that's what I mean."**

 **Tully smiled and said, "Why don't we just wait and see."**

 **A loud voice came from behind them. "Hey! I wanna talk to you!" Hitch and Tully turned to see Corporal Henderson staggering towards them with a half empty bottle of whiskey in one hand. "You guys owe me some money!"**

 **The privates stopped and waited for the drunken corporal to catch up. Then Hitch asked, "How do you figure that?"**

 **Henderson poked a finger into Hitch's chest. "I was doin' jus' fine 'til you two showed up!"**

 **Tully said, "Well, my luck wasn't much better than yours. How much did you lose?"**

 **The corporal swung his arms wide, sloshing whiskey around as he staggered back. "Everthing! I gots nothin' left."**

 **The privates grabbed his arms to steady him and Tully said, "I'm real sorry to hear that, corporal, but we don't owe you anything."**

 **Hitch said, "Why don't you just go home and sleep it off?"**

 **Henderson pulled away from them and said angrily, "I don't wanna sleep it off! I want my money!" With that the corporal took a swing at the privates … but didn't touch either one of them and stumbled forward into their arms. When they righted him, Henderson looked passed them and said, "Oh … you gonna have your buddies' help ya beat me up?"**

 **Hitch and Tully looked around. There was no one there and they realized that the corporal was either seeing double or hallucinating. Then he passed out, dropping the bottle of whiskey, which shattered on the cobblestones. Hitch and Tully caught Henderson under the arms and they looked at each other as Hitch said, "Now what do we do?"**

 **Tully shrugged. "We can't just leave him in the street. Any idea where his quarters are?"**

" **Nope. But we're closer to my quarters than to your apartment and I have an empty bed."**

 **###############################**

 **When daylight came Corporal Henderson awoke to find himself tied to a bunk in a room he didn't recognize. He started pulling on the sheets that had him restrained. "What the hell's going on here? Cut me loose!"**

 **Hitch opened his eyes and started to sit up on the edge of his bunk. His feet landed on Tully, who gave a sleepy grunt. Hitch yawned as he looked down at his friend. "Sorry. Didn't realize you were still here."**

" **When I get my hands on the jokesters who did this I'm going to knock some heads!"**

 **Tully opened his eyes with a sigh. "Sounds like he's finally sober."**

 **They both stood and walked across the room to the other bunk. Tully said, "Good mornin', corporal. How're you feeling?"**

 **Henderson looked up at them in surprise. "You two! I should've known you were trouble!"**

 **Hitch gave a snort, "Do you even remember what happened last night?"**

 **The corporal looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"**

" **Do you remember what happened after you left the poker game?"**

 **Henderson blinked, trying clear his muddled brain. "I don't remember leaving the game."**

 **Hitch and Tully explained their encounter in the street. The corporal listened quietly as he was told how he passed out and the privates dragged him to where he was now.**

 **Hitch said, "We didn't know where your quarters were, so we brought you here to mine to sleep it off."**

 **Henderson frowned as he tried in vain to remember. "And you felt you had to tie me up?"**

 **Tully started to untie the knots. "Well, after last night we didn't know what kind of mood you'd be in when you woke up. We really didn't want to fight with you."**

 **Once he was loose, they helped him sit up on the edge of the bed. Hitch went for aspirin and water. After taking the tablets, Henderson said, "Thanks. Not just for the aspirin, but for taking me in. You could've left me on the street for the guards to find."**

 **Hitch smiled. "Nah, we couldn't do that. Would've got you into too much trouble." He handed him a small stack of bills. "Here, take this. You told us you broke after the game. It's the forty I won and Tully's eighteen. It should hold you until payday … just stay away from the poker table."**

 **Henderson sheepishly took the money. "I really do mean it, guys. Thanks. I'll get it back to you first thing next payday." He sighed. "I guess I'd better get out of here now."**

 **Hitch and Tully walked to the door with the corporal. He thanked them again before he walked away.**

 **Hitch closed the door with a sigh. "Feel like some breakfast?"**

 **Tully shrugged. "I could eat."**

 **As they headed for the mess hall, Hitch asked, "So, do you have any plans for today?"**

 **Tully had planned on spending a quiet day at home, but… "How about we start with a game of horseshoes after we eat?" Then he thought to himself with a smile, "I'm gonna have to have a plan in place for the next time he get caught."**


End file.
